Glentoran on the brink of Irish Cup exit after Linfield defeat

Glentoran's hopes of retaining the Irish Cup are hanging by a thread after they were beaten 2-1 by Linfield in the quarter-finals on Saturday.

The Glens took the lead in the first half, but a late Linfield goal in the second half has put Glentoran on the brink of elimination from the competition.

Glentoran lost ground in the league title race

The defeat to Linfield also leaves Glentoran seven points adrift of league leaders Linfield in the Danske Bank Premiership standings.

The Glens have now won just one of their last five league games and face an uphill battle to retain their league title.

Glentoran's poor performance

Glentoran's performance against Linfield was well below par, and they were second best for much of the game.

The Glens made a number of mistakes in defence which allowed Linfield to score their two goals, and they also lacked creativity in attack.

Glentoran need to improve ahead of the semi-final replay

Glentoran will need to improve significantly if they are to have any chance of beating Linfield in the semi-final replay.

The Glens will need to be more solid in defence and more creative in attack, and they will also need to take their chances when they come.

Quotes from Glentoran manager Mick McDermott:

"We're very disappointed with the result today. We didn't play well enough, and we made too many mistakes.

"We need to improve our performance ahead of the semi-final replay. We know Linfield will be a tough opponent, but we believe we can beat them.

Read more: Glentoran on the brink of Irish Cup exit after Linfield defeat - BBC Sport